As Front Office Sports reported recently, and a source confirmed to OutKick on Sunday, the New York Times-owned sports vertical and the NFL have held discussions about expanding their relationship.And while the primary subject of those talks is said to be about video content, the idea of possibly including written content from the The Athletic on NFL.com and the NFL+ app has been part of discussions, the source confirmed.Steven Ginsburg, a managing editor at The Washington Post, left in late 2022 to become executive editor of The Athletic after joining the paper in 1994.(Eric Hanson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)THE ATHLETIC EXECUTIVE EDITOR ADMITS KEY MISTAKE MADE IN HANDLING OF DIANNA RUSSINI CONTROVERSY: REPORTIt is unclear how far along these talks about collaboration are but what is certain is that if they reach an agreement to indeed place The Athletic stories on the NFL media website, multiple thorny issues will be raised.Let's begin here:The Athletic is currently believed to be conducting an internal probe on the work of its former NFL reporter Dianna Russini as it pertains to a possible conflict of interest she may have had with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.So, The Athletic is presumably in the throes of this conflict of interest investigation of a former reporter with an NFL coach while at the same time engaging in talks to enter into a conflict of interest situation with the NFL.Got it.Dianna Russini appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors awards presentation at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb.
10, 2022.(Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)People who kept abreast of the Russini-Vrabel news can understand the relationship extended beyond professional.
That was amplified by the Page Six photos of Russini and Vrabel hugging, holding hands, and lounging by a pool and a hot tub at a Sedona, Arizona resort last spring.DIANNA RUSSINI RESIGNS FROM THE ATHLETIC AMID MIKE VRABEL CONTROVERSYThe photos suggested something more i...